Apple's Big Macworld Announcement Is a Big Disappointment

Share

Apple's Big Macworld Announcement Is a Big Disappointment

The only hardware release at Macworld Expo 2009 was a predictable unibody upgrade for the 17-inch MacBook Pro, which Apple reports will have an eight-hour battery life.

Eight hours is surely impressive for such a large, powerful notebook. But this news is nonetheless underwhelming for several reasons.

Some thought Apple was strategically waiting so it could ship the 17-inch MacBook Pro with a low-cost, quad-core processor. Intel released such a chip just recently, and APC suspected this CPU would appear in Apple's top-of-the-line notebook.

But much to our disappointment, the 17-incher is shipping with a plain ol' dual-core (Core 2 Duo) chip. True, at 2.66 GHz it's slightly faster than the other MacBook Pros. But there are hardly any substantial changes to justify the longer wait for this notebook.

Apple was able to beef up the MacBook Pro's battery by taking advantage of the generous amount of space available in the notebook's enclosure. This battery is also non-removable, which Apple said was necessary to use as much space as possible.

Apple also claims the new MacBook Pro's battery is more environmentally friendly because it lasts five years and has fewer toxins.

Looks like our Apple source, and several others in various blogs, were incorrect about the rumor of a new Mac Mini launching at Macworld. We'll look into the reasons why and provide an update soon.